


Starting Point

by Topographical_Map_Of_Utah



Series: Along Came Baby [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: But The Kind That Actually Happens, Finn Is Very Bi, Fluff, Her Name's Shara, M/M, Modern AU, Post Mpreg, Stormpilot, This is basically her origin story, Trans!Poe Dameron, a little bit of smut, domestic AU, no get your head out of the gutter that's not what I meant, they have a baby!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7936603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah/pseuds/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wonder how these two idiots got together? Well, there was a house fire and a Denny's involved, so you know that it must have been a pretty wild night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting Point

"Hey, Poe. That place look familiar?"

"Hm?" Poe stopped trying to sneak Shara a spoonful of Finn's ice cream, looking curiously where Finn was pointing. Across the street from the crosswalk they were waiting at there was a cute little bakery, nothing out of the ordinary, tucked between two much older redbricks. Poe's brain took a second to process, trying to understand what Finn was getting at, then it all clicked and he laughed, looking at Finn with bright eyes. "Damn, I barely recognised it. They really cleaned that place up, huh?" Poe readjusted Shara's hairbow and kissed her on the cheek, grinning when her eyes seemed to rest on the object of her parent's interest. "This is where I met your Dad, sweetheart." Poe explained, bouncing her in his arms.

"That was a fun night." Finn mused, grabbing Poe's hand as they navigated through the throngs of people crossing the street. "Never a dull moment."

"You're telling me?" Poe laughed. Once they were across they traded, Finn holding Shara while Poe got to eat his half of the ice cream cone. Finn didn't like the cone part, and Poe liked his ice cream so melted it was practically a milkshake, so sharing one cone worked out pretty well in the end. "I think I still have the teddybear I won out of that claw machine. Maybe I should give it to Shara."

"I don't want anything that's been in a Denny's to be in our kid's bedroom." Finn said firmly. "By the way, I can't believe that was our first date. Hey, baby-girl, knock it off, would you?"

Finn looked down and shook his head at Shara, who had started to gnaw on the engagement ring he was wearing. Laughing, Poe pulled a binky out of the baby bag and popped it into her mouth. She was starting to teethe, and for the past couple weeks she'd gotten into the habit of stuffing everything into her face, which basically meant Finn was having a constant heart attack. 

"C'mon, I thought it was pretty damn classy..." Poe laughed.

"Yeah, 'cause Denny's is as high end as it gets. You really know how to treat a man right." Finn scoffed.

"The circumstances being what they were, I thought I did pretty well. And it worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Yeah." Finn agreed. He ruffled Shara's hair and kissed the scar that Poe had gotten the night they had met. "Still can't believe we got out of that one." Shara looked up, curious, and Finn smiled at her. "You wanna hear the story, baby-girl?" She squealed and kicked, which Finn decided to take as an affirmative. "You tell it, Poe."

"Alright." Poe agreed, clearing his throat. "Well, once upon a time I was driving home from the late shift at the base, and your Dad was coming home from God knows where..."

"I was at the library!"

"At one in the morning? Sure, Casanova. Anywho, I was standing right over there, and your Dad rounded the corner. I'd like to say I looked up and was struck dumb by his beauty, but unfortunately, the fire that was going on had kinda distracted me..."

Yeah, the two of them had met under pretty strenuous circumstances.

 

\----------

 

In the same part of town, but about six years earlier, Finn was wandering down the street when his head snapped up and he paused, every muscle in his body tensed. Then a hot wind ruffled his hair and he took off without a second thought, following the reek of melting metal and wood crumbling to ash. Being a fireman, he liked to think he was pretty familiar with what a burning building smelled like.

Finn rounded the corner and paused, taking in the scene. An apartment was going up in flames, a ring of people watching on in horror. And in the middle of the group there was a guy trying to talk down a sobbing woman who kept trying to run back into the building, whooping and hollering. Finn didn't speak much Spanish, but he was pretty sure some of the words he heard as he jogged over weren't exactly kosher.

"She hurt?" Finn asked. When a couple other people had hauled the woman off the guy who had been holding her back shook his head and licked his lips. They were dry, chapped and blistered from the heat.

"Her kids are inside." he explained breathlessly, watching Finn turn towards the flame. "Second floor. Apartment 187." As though holding up a previous agreement the two of them ducked into the doorway, dodging a fallen support beam that splintered across the hallway in a shower of sparks. Well, there goes their escape route.

Inside Finn paused, trying to orient himself in the smoke. The guy tried darting past him and Finn grabbed his elbow just as the ceiling caved in right in front of them.

"Thanks..." the guy started. But Finn shushed him, turning towards the staircase with narrowed eyes. 

"I can hear them." For a second the only sound was the creak and crumble of the building, reminding them that they were on the clock. But then, suddenly, two querulous cries rose over the din. The guy yelled something back and Finn grabbed him by the hand, making their way up the stairs.

After sweeping the first apartment and coming up empty they found the kids cowering under a coffee table in the next flat over. Their faces were streaked with ash and they had had the good sense to wrap damp towels around their mouths. Huh. So those cheesy fire safety videos kids have to watch in class actually were worth something. The guy crouched and said something in Spanish, coaxing the kids out of their hiding place. He passed the girl to Finn and scooped up the boy.

"D'you remember how to get out?" Finn coughed. 

"Yeah. Someone's in a rush." The guy laughed. He smirked and Finn felt his stomach do a little jig. Then the floor shook and Finn snapped back to reality, remembering the fact that they were inside a burning building on the brink of collapse. He could find time to stare at the very handsome stranger later. Well, if the two of them got out alive, that is.

"Move!"

Somehow they got back down to the first floor, covered in soot and a little bit singed but mostly fine. Finn punched out a window and heaved the boy through, relieved when a pair of firemen's gloves reached in for him. Another pair grabbed the girl and dragged her out, but she took hold of Finn's arm and yelped something desperate as she was swept off. Finn blinked and turned back to the guy for translation, but before Finn could stop him he was dashing upstairs again, nearly falling when one of the steps snapped under his weight.

"Hey!" Finn ran back to get him and they nearly collided on the stairs. The guy grabbed Finn by the shoulder to steady him, and Finn could see that aside from a cut on his forehead he looked fine. "Why the fuck-" While Finn sputtered a kitten poked its head out of the guy's jacket and mewled, sandy fur gone dark with soot. Finn had to stop himself from cursing the guy out. "You gotta be kidding me."

"I couldn't just..." His protest was interrupted when the walls creaked around them and a support beam moaned. Without another word they ran off, bursting out of the front door with seconds to spare. Finn tripped and caught himself in a roll, landing a few metres away from the building, nicked and bruised but alright. He sat up, woozy, and noticed the guy who had run in with him handing off the kitten to the girl, who rushed off towards the crowd after a hurried thank you. He smiled at her and limped over to Finn, sitting down beside him with a grunt.

"See? Plenty of time." he coughed. As he said that the windows blew out and the roof caved in, a plume of black smoke belching out of the top as though a volcano had erupted in the middle of New York City. The two of them covered their heads, trying to guard against the rain of molten metal and bits of glass. When Finn opened his eyes again he turned and looked at the guy. His head was bleeding even worse now, but he seemed to be in a pretty good mood for whatever reason.

"You sure about that?" Finn deadpanned.

"Alright, you got me. But all things considered," he said as he regarded the firemen swarming over the heap of smoke and rubble lying where the building had once stood. "That could've gone so much worse."

"That's an understatement." Finn groaned and flopped back onto the pavement. This guy had to be out of his mind. May as well let him know. "You're crazy, y'know that?"

"Thanks for noticing." he turned and gave Finn the same smirk from earlier, cocky as can be. Finn had to catch his breath, and it had nothing to do with the smoke. He had been right, that smile looked even better when he wasn't about to die. "Hey, you got a name?"

"Finn." 

"Poe Dameron. We make a pretty good team, huh?" Poe laughed, looking at the rubble with something like satisfaction on his face.

"I guess you could say that." Finn agreed begrudgingly. He tilted his head back and sighed, trying to slow his heartbeat. If he spent anymore time around this guy he was sure to die of cardiac arrest. And for some reason he was perfectly okay with that.

 

\-------

 

"So you're a fireman? Figures."

"I guess it does. What about you?"

"Air Force."

"Figures." Finn parroted. He and Poe were sitting beside each other on the bumper of one of the ambulances, passing an oxygen mask back and forth. Between deep breaths the two if them managed to sneak in some conversation, and Finn found himself inexplicably falling for this complete madman one word at a time. "How's your head?"

"Should be fine. Hey, you wanna get something to eat?" Poe proposed suddenly. "I'm starving." 

"Really? You're thinking of food right now?" Finn asked, sounding exasperated. Yup, this guy was something else.

"And your not? C'mon, let's get the medic to clear us. Then we'll figure out what's open at two in the morning."

"All that's coming to mind is Denny's." Finn took another inhale and shrugged, trying not to laugh into the mask. "But not gonna lie, pancakes sound pretty good right now."

"Fuck it. Denny's it is." Poe grinned, giving Finn's hand a squeeze as he pulled him to his feet and led him over to one of the medics. Out of all else that had happened that was really the nail in the coffin for Finn. By the time the two of them were squished together on Poe's motorcycle Finn was caught, hook, line, and sinker.

 

\--------

 

"You actually spent twelve dollars trying to get that toy." Finn said for the tenth time, voice a mix of wonder and derision. Poe dunked a fry into his milkshake and laughed, tossing Finn the teddy bear he'd fished out of the claw machine after about sixteen tries. Finn snatched it out of the air and screwed up his face. At market price, it was probably worth about ninety-nine cents, but it seemed that Poe had never outgrown his childish sense of competition. Then again, Finn was currently gnawing on a plate of peanut-butter cup pancakes, so he didn't exactly have the right to be calling anyone immature.

"Aw, c'mon. It's adorable. How can you say no to that face?"

"One of its eyes is lopsided." Finn pointed out, tugging at the bear's ears and feeling the cheap stitches beginning to pop.

"That's what makes it endearing." Poe insisted. Finn rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of Poe's fries, grinning when Poe took a bite of his pancakes in retaliation. "Hey, tell me if I'm prying, but have you got a last name?"

"Bedford." Poe raised an eyebrow and Finn shrugged. "That's the street where they found me, and I guess my caseworker liked Friends."

"Can't argue with that." Poe decided. "You're a stray, huh?"

"Guess you could say that." Finn laughed. No other word to describe it. He'd been found wandering down the street, all of two years old, with nothing but a onesie and a tiny backpack. The grocer who had come across him still told the story to anyone who would listen, about the little boy he'd discovered trying to nick a box of strawberries. Finn had stayed there for a few days, but when no one claimed him he was sent off to foster care.

For years all Finn had in the world was a half-empty suitcase of Goodwill clothes and a battered old box that lived in his caseworker's office. She'd given it to him a few years ago when he stopped being her responsibility. It had been the great mystery of his childhood, what was in that box. When he had opened it for the first time his fingers had been trembling against the cardboard.

Inside there were a couple baby pictures, a broken rattle, a battered little backpack, and a scribbled address that had led him to an deserted apartment building in the Bronx, boarded up and slated for demolition. Needless to say, Finn had felt sorta cheated. Seems as though deep down he'd been expecting somebody to be waiting for him, somebody to care about him. Yeah, because real life is just like a Charles Dickens story.

"Your head's still bleeding." Finn realised, snapping out of his thoughts. He reached out and flicked a bloody curl away from Poe's forehead.

"Huh?" Poe coughed, choking a bit on his straw. Hopefully Finn hadn't noticed how his face had gone red or how he'd nearly spilled his milkshake all over his lap. Real slick, Dameron. "Oh, hadn't noticed."

"I've got a first aid kit in my apartment, if you wanted me to help with that. It's only a couple blocks away." Finn offered.

"Well..." Poe shrugged, chewing on his straw while he tried to work out what to do next. Something told him that Finn was offering more than just a patch-up, that something being the look on Finn's face, teasing and hopeful and inviting all at once. Poe wanted to accept, he really did, but then again...

He took a deep breath and sighed, staring up at the fluorescent lights flickering overhead so he didn't have to look at Finn when he dropped the bomb. "Here's the thing, buddy. Not to come on too strong or anything," Poe said carefully. "But if this is going to involve more than just a few stitches and a band-aid, then there's something you should know."

 

\--------

 

A few hours later Poe blinked himself awake to the sweet sound of AC/DC blaring in the other room and the smell of strong coffee sneaking its way into Finn's natural disaster of a bedroom. Finn was snoring beside him and Poe smiled, a warm feeling collecting in the pit of his stomach as he took in Finn's cluttered bookshelves, the model WWII tanks on the windowsill, the trail of clothes leading up to the bed. So it hadn't all been a dream.

Poe pulled the blankets up to his chin and sighed, last night resurfacing slowly in his mind like foam rising to the the top of a glass of root beer, sweet and bubbling. Finn leading him up a narrow set of stairs, carpeted in faded brocade, Finn laying him down on his creaky twin bed and kissing him into the sheets, Finn smiling, breath coming a bit shallow, calloused fingers sweeping the sweaty curls away from Poe's starstruck eyes.

It would have suited Poe just fine to lie there and indulge in those memories, but then Finn rolled away, bringing the blankets with him. When Poe yanked them back Finn pulled him close, snuggling in with a soft, contented sigh.

"Good morning." Poe laughed, leaning back to give Finn a kiss. Finn just grunted, obviously not ready to wake up quite yet. "Alright, I'll give you five minutes." Finn mumbled something like a thank you and pressed a couple lazy kisses to the back of Poe's neck. Not a morning person, this one. Probably best to give him some time.

"Hey, Poe?" Finn managed after a few minutes, voice rough with sleep. He sounded like a kid at a sleepover, leaning over to whisper a secret to his best friend in the middle of his night. And Poe was all ears. "You asleep?"

"Not anymore." Poe smiled into a pillow. Finn laughed a little and squeezed Poe tighter, hands moving up and down his body as he tried to wake himself up. His fingertips lingered on Poe's chest for a spell, stroking the old scars that the one other guy Poe had ever spent the night with had made a point of ignoring. After a minute Poe decided he enjoyed this a lot more. "You're a good blanket."

"Never heard that before." Finn grinned and kissed the back of Poe's neck, giving his nipple a pinch. "Nicest compliment I've had all month. There anymore coming?"

"Well, you're also a pretty good fuck. Not that I've had much experience in that department..." Poe smiled, rutting back against Finn's dick and getting a shiver out of him.

"Is that so? Those guys don't know what they're missing."

"Yeah, well. Hookups sound like too much work, all things considered."

"That's too bad. Can I convince you otherwise? I promise that they can be a lot of fun." Finn would know. It hadn't taken long for Poe to notice that Finn seemed to know exactly what to do with whatever equipment he was given. Apparently batting for both teams had its advantages. "Y'know, I bet one night stands are better than therapy." Finn laughed.

"Any medical evidence to back that?" Poe tried to keep his voice light, but he couldn't tell whether Finn was joking about this being a one-time thing or not. So that meant it was time for over-analyzing. He just loved how his brain did that.

It's not like Poe had been expecting something more to come out of this. No, wait, that was a lie. He had definitely spent a couple minutes fantasizing about handholding and couch cuddling. But only a couple minutes. Still, being nothing but a link in the chain of people Finn thought needed a pick-me-up seemed kinda depressing.

Dammit. This was why he had written off relationships a couple years back in the first place. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Despite it all Poe cracked a grin, even though Finn wouldn't be able to see, because maybe he'd be able to convince himself that he was fine with this.

"So I take it you spend the night with everyone you feel bad for? What is this, a courtesy fuck?" Poe laughed, but it came out more than a little bit shaky. He was starting to feel queasy, the same way he'd felt the day Han had dragged him back home, seeing the way his dad's eyes had gone straight to his shorn head, his bound chest, and still hadn't understood what was going on.

Somehow Finn seemed to have read Poe's mind. He shook his head and kissed Poe on the ear, lips gentle on his skin. "What? No, no, of course not. I like you, Poe. I really really like you." Finn let his forehead rest against Poe's neck, his voice dropping to an earnest, heartfelt whisper. "I mean it. You're brave and funny and crazy which sorta scares me but that doesn't matter 'cause I swear to God your smile just..." His grip on Poe slackened and he shook his head, giving him the freedom to roll away if he wanted to. "Okay, I'm rambling. Point is I wanna get to know you better, alright?"

Poe blinked, working through what Finn had just said, comparing it to the ways his attempts at romance had usually ended. Never calling back? That he understood. Bullshit excuses? Those were a given.

But somebody wanting more? This was new.

"I like you, too." Poe admitted as he rolled over to face Finn, who gave him what was probably the biggest, goofiest grin on the whole damn planet, hell, in the whole galaxy. And by some fluke Poe was the one who got to see it. Go figure. He pulled Finn closer, pressing a kiss to that irresistible smile. "I really really like you."

"Oh, actually? That's a relief. Had me worried for a second there..." Finn grinned against Poe's lips, making him laugh.

"Yeah, well. I like to keep people on their toes." Poe explained. He reached down and squeezed Finn's ass, grinning when Finn tensed against the touch. "You up for that, hot stuff?"

"I think we've established I like a challenge." Finn smiled. He rolled on top of Poe and pushed the hair out of his eyes. "But you're not the only one with a competitive streak around here, old man. You'd best watch yourself when I'm around."

"That sounds like a threat to me." Poe teased. Finn rolled his eyes, kissing his way down Poe's chest until he was lost under the sheets. But he popped up when Poe gave his hair a tug. "Hey, where're you going?" he asked petulantly. Finn just winked. Then he disappeared under the blankets again and Poe gasped, hands coming up to grip the rumpled sheets. "Oh. okay, that works..." Finn purred against Poe's clit and he felt himself tremble. Yeah, this worked just fine.

After a few delightful minutes of that something that sounded like a foot struck Finn's door, making the doorframe shiver. "Hey, Casanova, you and your friend want coffee?" somebody called from the front room.

"Kinda busy, Rey." Finn's voice came muffled from between Poe's legs. Laughing, Poe flipped back the covers and was greeted with a pair of sheepish brown eyes staring up at him. "Roommate." Finn explained. Poe nodded and ran his fingers through Finn's hair, grinning when Finn closed his eyes and nestled against his stomach with a soft sigh. "You want breakfast?"

"I think you already ate." Poe teased. Finn raised an eyebrow and shook his head, taking on the look of a disapproving schoolteacher.

"You're so vulgar." Finn complained as he burrowed back under the covers. Poe started to laugh, but that got lost in a moan pretty quick, making Finn grin against his inner thigh. "Not so cocky now, are you?"

"Shut up..." Poe tugged Finn's hair and smiled, flopping gratefully back on the pillows with a soft groan. You know, maybe he'd be able to ease himself into the idea of a relationship after all. 

 

 -------

 

In the other room Rey stopped pouring syrup on her waffles and listened, hoping fatigue or maybe a slight case of deafness was making her hear things. To her dismay the thumping and squeaking from Finn’s bedroom sounded very real. That mattress must be doing a number on their spines.

Scowling, she snapped her box of chicken and waffles shut and slammed the syrup back on the coffee table. “They can’t do this when I’m out." she complained to nobody. "No, those rabbits gotta wait ’till I’m back and _then_ they feel a need for intimacy.” As she was trying to settle back in to the couch there was a vicious squeak and a burst of laughter. They just couldn't keep quiet, could they?

Grumbling, she picked up the styrofoam container and went to eat her breakfast on the fire escape. "I wonder if this one's gonna stick." she sighed as she gathered up her laptop. "Hopefully Finn'll marry himself off before he's thirty..."

But if she was honest with herself, Rey didn't see that happening any time soon.

 

\-------

 

"Poe?" Finn's voice shook Poe awake, bringing him back to the present. He stretched and sighed, trying to hold onto the snippet of the dream he'd been having. Poe was pretty sure it was a memory. Something about a burning building and pancakes and alone time under the covers with a certain fireman. It had been a good dream. Then Finn nudged him and it all went up in smoke. "You up?"

"Mm." Poe paused the movie and smiled down at Finn, who was snuggled up to his belly with Shara napping on his chest. "What's on your mind?"

"Wanna get to bed?"

"Good idea." Finn passed Shara to Poe and rolled off of the couch, cleaning up the coffee table while Poe carried Shara over to their bedroom. She woke up as he walked, trying to grin around her binky when he plopped her down on his bed.

"Hi, Shara. Did you like the movie?" She raised her head and spat out her binky so she could give him a proper smile, smacking the cushions with her butterball fists. She was creeping up on six months now, sitting up all by herself and babbling. She was pretty vocal. Took after Poe, apparently.

"Ba buh!" she squealed.

"You trying to say baby? Somebody's self-centred." Poe laughed and scooped her up, squeezing her tummy and kissing the top of her head. They should probably cut her hair, but she'd inherited Finn's puffy curls and Poe thought they were too cute to cut. Besides, he liked nuzzling his nose into the mass of cotton candy on top of her head. While he was doing that Shara reached up and tugged his collar, still babbling and trying to stuff her fist into her mouth. Poe laughed and put her back down, grinning when she flopped from her back to her stomach, delighting in her newfound mobility. Then she paused, staring like someone transfixed.

The teddy bear Finn had bought ages ago was sitting at the headboard in the middle of a stack of pillows. Shara was eyeing it with interest, her long-lashed eyes wide open. "What's that, Shara?" Poe stage-whispered. Shara blinked at him, then turned back to the bear. Slowly she began to drag herself towards it, using the blankets as leverage as she army-crawled across the bed. Poe bit his lip and inched towards the door, not wanting to disturb her progress. "Hey, babe, c'mere." he called into the hallway, trying to keep his voice casual.

"What?" Finn wandered into the bedroom, munching absently on the popcorn he had meant to put away. "There a fire?"

"Just shut up and look at this." Poe wrapped his arms around Finn's neck and grinned, the two of them watching Shara with rapt attention. "Is she crawling? That looks like crawling to me."

"I think you're right." Finn agreed. When Shara reached the bear she squealed, looking at he parents with a huge smile on her face. Finn laughed and picked her up, hugging her tightly to his chest. "When did you start doing that, baby-girl?" He turned to grin at Poe, but he was on his phone, scrolling quickly through his contacts. "Hey, acknowledge your kid's accomplishment, would you?"

"One sec. Dad has to see this."

"Isn't it like, one in the morning in California?" Finn pointed out. After about two months Han had given in to Leia and kicked Kes and Tuck off of their couch, only because Leia knew that if they didn't do it now Kes would stick around until Shara graduated from university.

"Doesn't matter. The man doesn't sleep. Speak of the Devil..." Poe turned to his phone and grinned. "Mornin', Dad."

"Hi, kids. Congrats on the engagement by the way, but you do know you're doing things in the wrong order, right?" Kes' voice came out crackly on speaker. From the looks of it his was sitting on the floor of his garage, face streaked with engine grease and Tuck occasionally popping into the frame. Like Poe had said: The man doesn't sleep. "About time you call your old man, kid. How's my _nieta_ doing?"

"Funny you ask. Watch this." Finn laughed. He plucked the phone out of Poe's hand and propped it up against the teddy bear. He put Shara down a few feet away from it, where she could see the screen. "Hey, baby-girl, look who it is." Shara rolled over and started to babble, fingers digging into the blankets as she dragged herself towards the phone, grinning like she recognised Kes' face. Needless to say, that made him very happy.

"Hi there,  _cariña_. Somebody's growing up." Kes' voice was practically bursting with pride. Shara pawed at the screen and Finn scooped her up before she could accidentally hang up on him. "I have to come back soon. I'm missing everything." 

"You were just here for Easter..." Poe pointed out. He grinned over at Finn, who was trying to distract Shara with the teddybear. She had started to fuss when she had lost sight of Kes' face. "At least let us pay for your plane ticket next time. You're gonna run outta money at some point."

"Then I'll walk."

"Not with your knee." Finn called from the other side of the room. Kes snorted and rubbed the top of Tuck's head, smirking when he nudged the phone with his snout.

"Good point. You should be getting the baby to bed, right? I guess I'll let you three go. Expect for me to pop up on your doormat in a few months."

"We'll be waiting for you." Poe grinned, giving Kes a little two finger salute as he signed off. Then he flopped belly-up on the bed with a sigh, glancing over at Finn when he rested cross-legged against the headboard, Shara burbling in his arms. "Guess who's coming to visit?"

"Let him be. He just wants to see his granddaughter. And I don't blame him." Finn kissed the top of Shara's head, grinning when she laughed. Then he glanced at Poe with a hopeful look on his face. "You never did finish the story, sweetheart. Think we can end it in time for bed?"

"Oh, right." Poe yawned, trying to stretch out a kink in his shoulder. "Actually, I'm too tired. You do it."

"Fine. You got your listening ears on, Shara? We're getting to the good stuff." Finn said importantly. When Shara smiled at him he could see the pearly ridge of her first tooth poking out of her gums, the promise of what was sure to be a brilliant smile one day. Finn grinned and settled her comfortably in his lap. "Good. Okay, so we got to right after Denny's right?"

"Yup." 

"Great. Well, baby-girl, after another couple very romantic dates your Papá and I decided we loved each other very much. So I moved in and we were very happy for quite awhile. Then after a few years your Papá gets it in his head that he wants a kid. So we went to the mall and went straight to the baby section. We walked right up to the nice lady at the counter and your Papá said _Good morning, we would like one little baby girl. Please give her curly black hair and a smile as bright as sun. Make her as sweet as Skittles and smart as a whip._ And then, while my back was turned your Papá whispered to the nice lady, _And make sure she's as stubborn and reckless as I am, too, because apparently her Dad needs more stress in his life_."

"What happened then?" Poe laughed, only a little sheepishly. Grinning, Finn lifted up Shara and held her over Poe's torso, smiling broadly when she kicked out her legs, testing her weight on Poe's stomach.

"Then the nice lady at the counter asked _For here or to go_? Well, if we waited we would have been there for nine months, and your Papá isn't exactly the most patient man in the world..."

"That's true." Poe yawned. He plucked Shara out of Finn's arms and sat up, grinning when Finn wrapped his arms around his stomach and pulled him and Shara close, continuing the story.

"...So he very nicely volunteered to carry you around in his tummy while you were baking. But somebody must've turned up the heat in there, because you were ready two days early. So we went to the hospital and out you popped."

"I wouldn't say popped..." Poe mumbled, eyelashes fluttering as he struggled to stay awake. Shara was on the point of collapse too, valiantly staring at Finn as though she was clinging to his every word. Finn had better wrap this story up quick.

"That's a talk for another day. The point is your Papá swore a lot, you were born, and here we are. The end."

"You forgot the happily ever after..." Poe sighed, the beginning of a protest. But a second later he was asleep, face nestled in the crook of Finn's neck, a comfy spot he'd discovered and claimed the night they had met. And when Finn craned his neck to look he saw that Shara was out for the count, drooling against Poe's t-shirt.

"Did I?" Finn smiled and squeezed Poe tight, looking at the happily ever after sleeping soundly in his arms. "She's right there, sweetheart."

**Author's Note:**

> Did this need an origin story? No. But here it is anyways. Also those peanut butter pancakes from Denny's are the shit. Just thought I should put that out there.


End file.
